The city of Georgetown in Penang itself is filled with nostalgic shophouses, vintage shops and old streets that are hard to come by in big cities these days. It is a pleasure to wander around and admire the old town architecture. One thing that has been lacking is a cafe scene. Traditional cafes here are kopi tiam style, which offer a simple food menu and a place to chat with friends. They are not cafes you would sit down and write in or crack open a laptop. However in the recent months, Penang has had a cafe boom. There are now newly opened inviting cafes that serve espresso style coffee and are conducive for working in. With this newfound cafe culture, Penang has yet become a digital nomad hub.

One of the great things to do on any holiday is to have a coffee and a cake in a cafe and just watch the world go by. The same goes for when you’re not on holiday of course, and if you’re a coffee lover, then there’s not many a day goes by when you don’t pop into a cafe for an espresso or whatever your particular favourite is. Penang is a fantastic city for this, often it feels like there’s an espresso bar on every corner, but unlike Singapore, they’re not all run by the large chains. Don’t get me wrong, you can find those chains if you really want, but I’d prefer an independent cafe any time, and the thing I most notice about Penang cafes generally is that the coffee nearly always seems to be made with love and attention.

Why do people like to sit in cafes drinking coffee and using their computers, rather than just doing that at home? Sitting in a cafe, which i often do, and there are also all other people here who apparently spend a lot of time here. What is the purpose of it?

Cafes are a place of business seemingly centered on serving a particular beverage when the beverage in question is available at home at a much lower price. What these places are actually selling is the ambiance, a place for social mixing, and service (you don't have to do the prep work yourself or clean up afterwards).

Other than the perfect location spots in Georgetown, you just have to sit inside one of these cafes while sipping coffee and watch the day pass by your tranquil time. Like a soft haven in the present day in contrast to the area surrounded with treasured heritage.

Georgetown in Penang is probably the most authentic historic cities in the world. Lots of "tourist sights". The list is endless. Just by wandering around you get a feel of the place. Stop for a bite to eat and a fruit juice or coffee anywhere and watch the world go by! You'll never be worried about eating from hawker stalls or cafes. You could easily spend a few days just wandering and browsing and have enough memories to last a lifetime.

Cafes came into vogue around the time of the French Revolution. Cafes were a space where thinkers (i.e., people with enough excess wealth to be able to afford to spend all day drinking coffee as opposed to working) could gather to discuss philosophy, politics, sociology, or whatever other ideas might be in vogue. The caffeine stimulated discussion.

Starbucks democratized the cafe. My vision of a "third space," is somewhere between work and home, where you can relax without the worries associated with either. Most city dwellers have the disposable income to decide that we deserve to relax with a nice espresso drink, made just the way we want it, without worrying about shopping for the beans, prepping the machine, cleaning up, etc. At a cafe, you are paying for the relaxing space, away from home and office clutter, away from at-home or at-work distractions, which can result in very productive environment in which to do work. Since this may be true of other people in the cafe as well, you are likely to be surrounded by diligent workers, which can reinforce productivity habits.